Changeable sign



Aug. 11, 1931. J. D. SELF I CHANGEABLE SIGN Filed Dec. 2. 1929 2Sheets-Sheet J. l gul.

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Aug. 11, 1931. J. D. SELF CHANGEABLE 5 IGN Filed Dec. 2. 1929 2Sheets-Sheet :2

go 0 000000 oooooooooolb A? I I h 8 U 22 2.92 za/z 27 m l I 24 Z v eat?Patented Aug. 11, 1931 v i UNITED STATES PATENT orrics I a v :r'osnrnn.SELF, on wAYNEsvILLE, NORTH CAR'OiiINA I GHANGEABLZE sron Applicationfiled name 2, 1929. Serial No. 4114 10.

This invention relates to changeable signs elongated strip or web 6containing the reg'u and is designed more particularly as an imlarlyspaced advertisements is provided near provement upon the structuredisclosed in each of its side edges with a longitudinal Patent.1,710,745 issued to me 011 April 30, series of apertures 7 into whichthe teeth 5 1929. p are adapted'to project so as to insure '55 In thepatented structure it was necessary tive act'uatio'nof the web when theroll 3 is to space the advertising matter at different rotated. adistances apart to compensate for variations A take-up s'pool 8 islocated in the upper v in the size of the rolled web carrying theportion of the housing adjacent the back advertisements. This has beenobjectionable thereof and one end of the web6 is attached ,60 because ofthe problem presented during the thereto. Another spool 9 is journale'din printing operation. the lower portion of the housing near the It isan object of the present invention to back thereof and to this isattached the so mount the elongated strip or web carryother end of theweb 6. This latter spool ing the advertisement that it becomes unhas akey 10 extending therefrom through 65 necessary to space theadvertisements at difoneside of the housing by means of which ferentdistances apart. the web can be wound rea'dily on the spool.

Another object is to simplify and improve Spool 8 has a grooved wheel 11rotatable I upon the mechanism employed for actuating therewith andseated in the groove in this the web. wheeljis a belt 12 mounted on agrooved -70 With the foregoing and other objects in wheel 13 rotatablewith the rolls. This belt view which will appear as the descriptioncanb'e formed of an endless coiled spring proceeds, the inventionresides in the comand constitutes means for transmitting rnobination andarrangement of parts and in tion to spool or wheel 11 from roll 3 while,at the details of construction hereinafter dethe same time, permittinglost motiondue 7 scribed and claimed, it being understood to slippage,

that changes in the precise embodiment of The r0113 ms. a bearing stem14 extending the invention herein disclosed may be made th'erefroin towhich the grooved wheel 13 is within the scope of what is claimedwithout secured so as to rotate therewith. On this departing from thespirit of the invention. stem l l is slidably and rotably mounted a Inthe accompanying drawings the presleeve 15. (renamed ofthesleeve isseferred form of the invention has been shown. cured a small gear 16while the other end of In said drawings, the sleeve, which projectsthrough one side Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of thehousing, hasan opemting knob 17 by through the housing of thechangeablesign mgns of whi h th Sleeve can be actuated. .35

showing the lmproved mechanlsm thereln 1n A i1 d p i 1 i o ht t Sleevegf 2 and bears against the hub of gear 16 while i r 3 i zt on i g i tits other end bears against the housing. "T" lgure 0 1S a Sec 10.11 o m7 i we Thus- Year 16 is heldnormall ressed to- 40 Figure 4 is a sectionon line 1, Figure 1. p 9.0

wardthe grooved wheel13. Sleeve 15 has a lon itudinal slot 19 oneend ofwhich isiproreference 1 designates a houslng havin a window 2 throughwhich the various adv er- Vlded Wlth lateral f t g P1921 tisement-s areadapted to be displayed interextends from h m slot 19 i mittently. Abovethe window there is los normally t hO1-d -the s1e eVe ;aga1ns t cated aroll 3 extending transversely within Q l 011 1. While auOWmg l to b thehousing while another roll 4 is located Pulled l -g y- Vvhe? V below thewindow and transversely of the 1 11 1 ou w rdly n hen g ven a partlalhousing. Roll 3 is provided, near its ends, rotation, th lMBGT llyextending- .P T iOn 20 with annular series of teeth 5 and the of theslot willrecelve the pin 21 so as to Referrin to the fi ures bcharacters of hold spring 18 under compression with gear 16 out of itsnormal position.

An intermediate shaft 22 is journaled in the housing and carries a largesegmental gear 23 and a smaller worm gear 24. The segmental gear ispositioned where it will come into engagement with the gear 16 androtate it once during each rotation of the segmental gear. The worm gear24 is engaged by a worm 25 secured to a shaft 26 which, in turn, carriesa worm gear 27. This latter gear is adapted to receive motion from aworm 28 secured to a drive shaft 29 one end of which is extended fromthe housing 1 as shown at 30. This shaft 29 is adapted to be driven byany suitable means provided for that purpose.

It is to be understood that while the shaft 29 is in action, motion willbe transmitted therefrom through the gearing to the segmental gear 23and once during each rotation of this gear it will move into mesh withand actuate the small gear 16. The parts are so timed that eachactuation of gear 16 will be sufficient to move web 6 a distance equalto the height of one advertisement thereon. In other words, each timethe web is actuated, one advertisement being displayed through thewindow 2 will be displaced by another advertisement. As the segmentalgear moves out of mesh with gear 16 the web will remain stationary untilsaid gear is again actuated whereupon another change is made.

The web is actuated by the teeth 5 engaging the marginal portionsthereof and motion is transmitted from the wheel 13 through the belt 12to spool 1 so that this spool will take up slack in the web as said webis fed over and away from the roll 3. As the belt not only drives thespool 8 but is also free to slip on the wheel 11 it will be apparentthat any variations in the diameters of the rolled web on spool 8 willbe compensated for.

When it is desired to reverse the operation of the device, the sleeve 15can be pulled outwardly to withdraw gear 16 from engagement withsegmental gear 23 and the parts can be held in this position by giving arotation to the sleeve so as to cause the pin 21 to become seated in theslot extension 20. By means of key 10 the web can be wound on the spool9 after which the operation already described can be repeated.

If desired, any suitable power means can be employed for quickly windingthe web on the spool.

\Vhat is claimed is:

A changeable sign including a housing having a window, toothed rolls inthe housing, a take-up spool back of one of the rolls, a rewind spoolback of the other roll, a web secured at its ends to the respectivespools and supported by the-rolls across the winfor holding theshiftable gear in engaged position and means for rotating the rewlndspool when the gear is disengaged and at any desired speed, said meansbeing independent of the driving mechanism.

In testimony that'I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature.

JOSEPH D. SELF,

